Many organisms coexist with humans on the planet, some of which are capable of parasitizing humans and animals. The people call them one common word - worms. The following discusses the treatment of such a problem, the signs of parasite infestation, and prevention methods.
Watch out, parasites!
Infected with helminths, and this is the correct name for worms and similar creatures that can parasitize in many ways in human, animal and fish organisms. They cause significant damage to health, although often an infected person cannot even imagine that the problems that have arisen are the result of the vital activity of the parasite. What kind of worms do people have? The answer to this question will help determine the type of person who caused the health disorder, and thus choose the right treatment. After all, why are worms dangerous? Release of waste products into the body's systems, absorption of nutrients, the lack of which affects the state of health. In the treatment of helminthiasis, one of the main points should be strict adherence to the rules of personal hygiene.
What is the danger?
Analysis such as feces on worm eggs serves as a mandatory item for a medical examination to determine overall health. From the moment of admission to the nursery until the receipt of vouchers for sanatorium treatment, the person must necessarily undergo such a procedure. The presence of parasites in the body is the reason for medical withdrawal in certain situations. Many people prefer to take worm prevention pills in advance, to make sure they get the necessary negative test results. But why are helminths so dangerous that the procedure of determining their presence in the body is one of the most common during medical examinations of people of different ages and professions?
Parasites that live in the human body have a detrimental effect on it, which manifests itself in different ways. Thus, immunity suffers from their vital activity - the susceptibility to colds, viral and bacterial infections increases. The body begins to lack useful substances - trace elements and vitamins, which affects all processes that occur in systems, organs and tissues, causing various diseases and pathologies. Since worms perform all vital processes in the human body, the toxins that are released have a toxic effect and intoxication occurs. This in turn contributes to the development of asthma, allergies, liver and kidney disorders. Worms negatively affect the work of all parts of the gastrointestinal tract. They also affect the functioning of the central nervous system, causing insomnia, irritability, excessive excitability, aggression, which can develop into depression. Negative consequences accompany those who suffer from problems like worms. Its treatment should be carried out competently, taking into account many aspects, starting with the type of helminth and ending with the general state of human health.
So different parasites
Before you decide on a method of treatment, you need to find out what types of worms a person has. Scientists have discovered several species of them. They are divided into two large groups:
- roundworms nematodes (Nematoda);
- flatworms.
Both groups of parasites are very extensive, as about 40 species can only be found in flukes belonging to flatworm trematodes. In humans, diseases caused by the vital activity of worms are divided as follows:
- ankylosis; enterobiase;
- trichocephaly.
What measures should be taken to prevent infection? Why are worms dangerous? Intoxication of the human or animal body by the products of their vital activity, as well as damage to the tissues and organs in which they inhabit.
Scientists divide parasites that can carry out vital activity in the human body, so to speak, according to their habitat:
- Luminal - this type includes worms that settle in different parts of the gut. There are more than a hundred of them, the most common are pinworms, roundworms, hookworms, beef ribbons, whips.
- Cloth. They live in organs and tissues other than the intestines, affecting the heart, lungs, liver, lymphatic system and brain.
Therefore, the analysis of faeces on worm eggs is not always able to give an accurate answer to the question of the possibility of human invasion.
Need to be careful?
Symptoms of a worm infestation often do not immediately suspect such a problem. General weakness and weakness, weight loss, worsening of the condition of the skin and hair are signs not only of helminthiasis, but also of many other health problems. But itching in the anus, especially at night, the appearance of inclusions in the form of white worms in the feces, which after closer examination turn out to be helminths similar to pinworm, should become an incentive to visit a doctor and test for helminthiasis to identify the problem and get quality treatment. Unfortunately, such obvious signs appear only when the infection has become widespread. The first symptoms often go unnoticed, the parasites assimilate, in some cases spreading to many organs, affecting not only the intestines. In which cases is it necessary to visit a doctor to appoint certain tests that can detect helminthiasis? They are divided by experts according to the area of the event:
- Gastrointestinal disorders. In the vast majority of cases, parasites are in the human intestine, causing a disorder of this system: stool disorders occur - constipation is replaced by diarrhea, heartburn and bloating increase, painful sensations appear in the abdomen, especially in the right hypochondrium and around the navel.
- Nervous disorders. Poisoning by parasites with waste products causes disorders in the work of the nervous system. Intoxication leads to headache, dizziness. Often patients infected with worms take such symptoms for the development of migraine, they start taking painkillers, which in turn negatively affects their health. In their life, parasites use those useful substances that can be obtained in the human body. Therefore, the patient experiences a lack of vitamins, which is manifested in a constant feeling of fatigue, weakness. Such disorders due to infection of the body with worms are especially pronounced in children - babies do not sleep well, they are capricious, school-age children reduce their academic results.
- Allergic reactions and skin manifestations of helminthiasis are also common consequences of this problem. Due to the fact that parasites secrete the products of their vital action into the human body, some reactions of the body begin to take place more actively, for example, skin rashes and itching appear. Rhinitis and dry cough can also occur, and the condition of nails and hair that suffer from intoxication is disturbed.
- Helminths, entering the human body and settling in it, also cause deterioration of general health, expressed by reduced immunity, frequent colds. An infected person develops frequent inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx, urinary tract and genital area. Also, the presence of helminths in the human body can be manifested by bad breath and the appearance of an unpleasant taste in the mouth.
All new deviations in health and well-being require consultation with a specialist and certain tests. Many of those considering the possibility of helminth infection are looking for an answer to the question of whether garlic helps against worms, believing that the available remedies will help avoid such an annoying problem as helminthiasis. But to make sure there are no intruders in your body, you need to undergo a thorough examination.
How to identify a problem?
Under certain life circumstances, a person may be suspected of having worms. Which doctor should I contact to resolve the issue of diagnosis and adequate treatment of such a problem? The main specialist who deals with diseases like helminthiasis is a doctor of infectious diseases.
The specialist can make a preliminary diagnosis of a certain type of parasite, "inhabiting" the patient's body, according to certain signs. Thus, pinworm invasion is characterized by itching felt in the anus, which intensifies mainly at night. If the parasites are actively multiplying, and there are many of them, then they can be seen on the feces, even with the naked eye. Deep dysbiosis on the background of damage to the intestinal mucosa develops on the background of infection by such helminths as whips, Schistosomal trematodes, ankylosis. If the invasion of the body was caused by broad tapeworm, then the characteristic symptom, in addition to dysbiosis, will be anemia with B-12 deficiency. Ascariasis can be characterized by severe weight loss, obsessive cough, weakness, sore throat. The development of jaundice, liver and spleen disorders may indicate infection with hepatic parasites.
It should be noted that the incubation period of different types of helminths can last from 3-4 days to 3-4 weeks. But for such a parasite as filariasis, which causes filariasis or elephantiasis, such a time interval is up to one and a half years.
Only an expert can determine the presence of helminths in the body, their type and method of treatment. It is impossible to choose an effective worm medicine for children or adults on your own!
To determine helminthic invasion, a person of any age is assigned three main tests:
- helminth egg droppings;
- blood on lamblia, parasitic in liver;
- scraping for enterobiasis.
Under certain conditions, the patient may be assigned additional examinations, for example, during a recent visit to tropical regions, where you can become infected with parasites atypical for our country.
Risk group
Perhaps no person is immune to such a problem as worms. Treatment of the invasion should be chosen by a specialist only after the diagnosis has been made and the general health of the patient has been taken into account. Perhaps someone will object that in any pharmacy you can see on the shelves of drugs against worms of a wide range of action, which are sold without a prescription. But only a specialist can recommend this or that medicine for use. As with any other disease, helminthiasis is best prevented. This is especially true for at-risk people:
- small children;
- people in close contact with animals;
- those who eat meat or fish that have not been fully cooked;
- hunters.
Today, experts are conducting research on the impact of helminths on the development of many serious diseases, including cancer. Therefore, if the problem of invasion is recognized in time, high-quality infection prevention becomes very relevant for modern society.
Pharmacy products
Worm tablets are sold in any pharmacy. The range of their prices is quite wide. But before you buy and take any medicine, you need to seek expert advice, because different types of parasites like worms require proper treatment. Only a doctor will be able to recommend a drug that can get rid of uninvited guests in the human body within a certain period of time. Drugs can be roughly classified according to the way they act on parasites:
- paralyzing the activities of individuals;
- violation of metabolic processes in parasite tissues;
- blocks certain processes in the helminth body.
Which worm prevention pills can I buy? This is a common question that pharmacists hear in pharmacies. They mostly work on predicting the obvious manifestation of helminthic invasion, the person just takes the infection, without noticing any deviations in the health condition.
You can also buy medicinal herbs against worms in pharmacies, which have been proven by scientific research and have an anthelmintic effect.
Helper plants
Treatment of worms in children, as well as prevention of helminthiasis should become one of the permanent places of care for a child of any age. Since children, mastering the world around them, all try to "taste and taste", the risk of infection with the same pinworms or roundworms is constantly present.
For centuries, people have been trying to get rid of worms with the help of plants. Currently, the antiparasitic effects of some of them have been confirmed by scientific research. These are, for example, pumpkin seeds that have a laxative and as a result anthelmintic properties. A similar effect has a brittle buckthorn bark, which can be purchased in pharmacies in the form of powder for preparation of infusion or decoction.
Does garlic help with worms? Yes, in some cases this spice is capable of anthelmintic action. In addition, infusions and tinctures based on garlic stimulate the immune system, affect the body's ability to cleanse itself of unwanted guests - viruses, bacteria, fungi and helminths. Herbs against worms are always popular, especially as prophylactics - these are tansy, centaury, bitter wormwood, ginger, chamomile. They are used in decoctions and infusions, they have laxative, anthelmintic, disinfectant, anti-inflammatory properties. It would be most reasonable to take such folk remedies as an adjunct to the main therapy of established invasion or preventive measures.
Traditional methods
Another way to get rid of intestinal worms is by rinsing. You can use medicines and herbs that cause diarrhea. And you can also use an enema recipe for earthworms. For example, this:
- 20 grams of wormwood must be chopped;
- pour 3 liters of hot boiled water into the raw material;
- insist for half an hour;
- drain, strain, the resulting product and squeeze through cheesecloth;
- use a warm infusion - 25-35 degrees for a more comfortable feeling during the procedure and better action of the components.
You can only give an enema once a day. Moreover, like any other medical intervention in the human body, it must be agreed with a specialist. Enemas help remove toxins and toxins, waste products of parasites and themselves. But if the invasion is not a cavity but an interstitial one, an enema will only be an aid that cleanses the bowels. Many medicinal plants can be used to prepare such a medicine as an enema for parasites - chamomile, St. John's wort, calendula. The proportions in this case remain unchanged - 20 grams of dry grass per 3 liters of water. It will allow you to cope with the task and will not harm the intestinal microflora.
Hygiene and prevention
For humans, a problem like worms was relevant at all times. The treatment of invasions has been carried out and is being carried out in all possible ways. The pharmaceutical industry is constantly releasing new drugs that can deal with helminthic infections of the body. But the best remedy is prevention. Since helminth infection occurs mainly through the mouth, any possibility of parasite eggs entering the oral cavity and further into the intestines should be ruled out. To do this, the following rules must be strictly followed:
- wash your hands regularly with soap and water;
- keep household items such as toys that a child could put in their mouth for cleaning;
- Wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly with running water;
- vaccinate and treat pets that family members come in contact with;
- thoroughly heat meat and fish during cooking;
- follow the rules of personal hygiene (regular change of underwear, care of the intimate area with special care products);
- If you suspect a helminth infection, or even just for the purpose of prophylaxis, you should consult a doctor to appoint a special examination and select curative and prophylactic drugs.
Taking precautions will help you avoid health problems like worms. Treatment of the invasion can be quite lengthy and therefore expensive, although prevention will bring both protection from the invasion and general well-being for the body, preventing infection not only by worms but also by fungi, viruses and bacteria.